Josh Diaz
Josh Diaz was a supporting character in Season 5 of Teen Wolf. He was first introduced as a club kid who spent a lot of time partying at Sinema. At some point in the late summer/early autumn of 2012, Josh was captured by the Dread Doctors and experimented on, which caused him to turn into a Chimera, though what supernatural creatures were used to transform him remain unknown. He gained retractable fangs and claws, glowing purple eyes, and the ability to absorb and control electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic fields. Shortly after his last round of experimentation, Josh ran around town chewing on electrical cables to absorb the energy from them, eventually ending up on the roof of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. After he finished chewing on the cables to the generator, he attacked Stiles Stilinski, who had accidentally wandered onto the roof during a hallucination after he had read The Dread Doctors novel by Gabriel Valack. Before Josh could kill him, however, Theo Raeken intervened and started to fight Josh, which ultimately led to Theo ripping out Josh's throat with his claws. The next two nights, Stiles and Theo used Josh's body as bait in an attempt to catch the person who had been stealing the bodies of the dead Chimeras, but though they did lure the thief (who was actually Jordan Parrish in a Hellhound-trance, although no one knew it at the time) to the animal clinic, they were both knocked out by Jordan, allowing him to take Josh's body without interference. Jordan then brought Josh's body to the Nemeton to place his body with the other failed Chimeras, where Josh remained until Status Asthmaticus, when Theo used the Dread Doctors' green serum to resurrect him and three other previously deceased Chimeras-- Hayden Romero, Tracy Stewart, and Corey. Afterward, Josh joined Theo's pack, though he was reluctant to do so at first. Unfortunately for Josh, he became a victim of Theo manipulations once again when Theo killed him a second time and took his Chimera powers, both to practice taking powers from others as well as to have Josh's powers to use for his own ends. With Josh's powers, Theo was able to put on the Dread Doctor Mask and learn the true identity of the Beast, who he intended to kill and steal his powers. Josh was a member of the Chimera Pack and a student at Beacon Hills High School. Throughout Teen Wolf Season 5 Josh was first introduced in Required Reading, when he appeared at Sinema during Hayden Romero's shift. He was so under the influence of drugs that he thought his glow stick broke, and when Hayden told him it simply "ran out of glow," Josh asked for his money back. Hayden rolled her eyes and gave him a new one before complaining under her breath that she hated all-ages night. Josh was then seen by Lydia Martin during a Banshee premonition, where he was pleading with the Dread Doctors not to hurt him. They peeled away a large patch of skin on his abdomen, revealing glowing bluish-purple flesh underneath before The Surgeon determined that his condition was worsening. He was then apparently set loose some time afterward, where he ran to Beacon Hills High School and consumed all of the electricity in the building's system before he set sight on Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Once there, he began to chew on the electric cables on the roof to absorb the electricity. When Stiles Stilinski wandered up onto the roof during his hallucination of his repressed memory, Josh mindlessly attacked him until Theo Raeken showed up to defend him. Theo and Josh then began to fight, which ended in Theo ripping out Josh's throat. In Strange Frequencies, Josh's body was stolen from the animal clinic by Jordan Parrish in a Hellhound-trance while Stiles and Theo kept watch over it outside. His body was then taken to the Nemeton to join the other bodies of the dead Chimeras up to that point. In Status Asthmaticus, Josh was resurrected by Theo using the green serum created by the Dread Doctors, along with Hayden Romero, Tracy Stewart, and Corey. Afterward, Theo informed them that they were now his pack, and he was their new Alpha. In Damnatio Memoriae, Josh was seen leaving Sinema when he was approached by Theo, who asked him how much drugs he had taken that night. Josh angrily replied that he had taken a lot and that he didn't feel anything, which Theo explained was due to his enhanced healing ability, which would prevent him from ever getting drunk on alcohol or high on drugs. Josh seemed to resent this side-effect of being a Chimera and claimed that Theo should have just let him stay dead, but Theo assured him there were other ways to get that feeling and helped him siphon electricity from a car battery. This appeared to exhilarate Josh so much that he transformed into his Chimera form, with glowing purple eyes, vicious-looking fangs, and glowing purple claws. Liam saw this occur from a safe distance away and immediately left to inform his best friend Mason that Josh, like Hayden, was still alive. In Amplification, Josh, along with the rest of his packmates, invaded Eichen House on Theo's orders. Outside the entrance, Josh sneaked up on a guard, who pulled a taser stick on him, but Josh simply grabbed it and absorbed the energy from the stick, which resulted in his eyes glowing purple. Once the guards were neutralized, Josh, Theo, Tracy, and Corey all entered the main lobby, where they requested that Schrader allow them to see Lydia Martin, who was being used by Gabriel Valack to figure out the identity of the Beast of Gevaudan. After going in her room, Josh and Corey remarked on the fact that Lydia looked like she was in bad shape as a result of the hole Valack had drilled in her head. When Valack asked what a pack of Chimeras would want with a Banshee, Theo explained that they had no interest in a Banshee, but were instead looking for a Hellhound. Just then, the pack looks shocked by the arrival of Jordan Parrish, who was transformed into his fiery Hellhound form and melted through one of the doors to the closed unit with his pyrokinesis. In Lie Ability at Theo's request, Josh, Corey and Tracy Stewart attacked the unstoppable Hellhound while Theo held Lydia in a choke-hold for additional leverage against Parrish. Josh ripped a pipe off of the wall and grabbed the wires that were covered by it in order to absorb the electricity, causing his claws and eyes to glow purple. However, when he grabbed Parrish by the arm to both shock and neutralize him, the electricity passed harmlessly through Parrish's body, allowing him to grab Josh in a choke-hold before slamming him onto the ground. Just as Parrish was about to slash at Josh with his claws, Corey appeared and grabbed his arm, holding him back with his super strength to protect his friend. However, Parrish responded to this by bursting into flames, which gave Corey 3rd-degree burns over the majority of his body as a result. After the fight had ended, Josh picked up Corey and helped him walk through the building in an attempt to find him help. The two eventually found Malia Tate in the morgue with Kira Yukimura, who had recently passed out due to her Thunder Kitsune spirit reacting badly with the telluric currents at Eichen House. When Malia attempted to take Kira's pulse, Josh told her not to touch Kira because he could still feel the powerful electricity coming off of her body. He then offered to help Malia with Kira if she returned the favor by helping Corey, who was still in very bad shape as a result of his burns. The two brought Corey into the morgue and laid him on the table, where Josh wondered why Corey wasn't healing. Malia guessed that it was most likely because the immense pain from the burns were keeping him from healing, and she offered to take Corey's pain to trigger the healing process, but only if Josh helped Kira by absorbing the excess electricity and foxfire from his body. Josh insisted it was a lot harder than it looked because Kira had an exceptional amount of power, but he ultimately did as he was asked in order to get Corey the help he needed. After Malia and Josh saved their respective friends by absorbing their pain and electricity, respectively, Eichen House's lockdown ended thanks to Hayden and Mason's help, and he and Corey eventually left the building together together. In The Beast of Beacon Hills, Josh was seen in the Dread Doctors Operating Theater, where Theo and Tracy were discussing the Dread Doctor Mask that Theo had recently stolen from Gabriel Valack while Deucalion watched with interest. Theo and Tracy attempted to talk Josh into putting the mask on because they knew it would kill them, and after Tracy cryptically told him that he was the one with the power, Deucalion explained that the reason they wanted him to wear it was because The Surgeon had created the mask to harness electromagnetic fields-- since Josh's powers were also associated with electromagnetism, he would be able to put on the mask without being seriously harmed. Josh picked up the mask to verify Deucalion's claims and sensed its electromagnetic power, but though it looked like he was about to put it on, he ultimately refused and told Theo to do it himself. Later, while they were all discussing what to do to figure out the identity of the Beast, Deucalion remarked on the fact that Hayden didn't tell Theo that Belasko's Talons would kill Theo if he put them on. After Deucalion asked Theo where Hayden and Corey were, Josh, realizing that the other Chimeras were beginning to defect from the Chimera Pack, stated that he was going to leave. He stopped in his tracks when Deucalion started to show Theo how to steal the power from other beings by taking their pain and life first, which ultimately led to Josh's downfall, as Theo attacked Josh and killed him for a second time to take his electromagnetic abilities. Now possessing Josh's powers, Theo was able o use the mask to determine that the true identity of the Beast was Sebastien Valet, giving Theo the information he needed to go after him. Personality Not much is known about Josh, personality-wise, but from what has been seen thus far, he was a person who enjoyed chasing the highs in life, whether it is from drugs or from absorbing electricity. He also appeared to have mixed feelings about his resurrection, as he made an offhand comment to Theo Raeken that he should have left him dead. Despite his less-positive qualities, he is a very loyal friend who is willing to put himself in harms way in order to ensure their safety and well-being, as evidenced by his willingness to go to Malia Tate, a member of their rival pack, for help in healing Corey, and was willing to take in an exceptional amount of electrical energy to save Kira Yukimura in order to make that happen. He also appeared to be a person who thought for himself, as he refused to allow himself to be bullied into putting on the Dread Doctor Mask, though this did ultimately end in his second and final death. Physical Appearance Josh was a very tall, lean young man with tan to olive skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He typically wore casual clothing such as jeans and baseball shirts with sneakers or boots, though he occasionally wore club clothing when he would attend all-ages night at Sinema. Powers and Abilities Powers After being turned into a Chimera, Josh gained a number of supernatural powers. However, since neither one of the supernatural species that make up his Chimera nature have been revealed thus far, it is extremely likely that he has more powers than what is currently known. However, the powers Josh has demonstrated so far in the series are the following: *'Super Strength': As a Chimera, Josh has superhuman levels of strength, enough to allow him to break through locks, deadbolts, and chains, as well as throw a grown man across the room with little effort. He used this ability in his fight against the Eichen House guards and against Jordan Parrish/The Hellhound by breaking the arm of a guard and by snapping a metal pipe off of the wall of the closed unit. *'Super Agility/Reflexes': As a Chimera, Josh's agility was extremely heightened, allowing him to move swiftly and easily, jump high into the air and across long distances, and perform gymnastic and acrobatic feats. He used this ability in his fight against the Eichen House guards. *'Accelerated Healing': As a Chimera, Josh's body regenerates its cells at an incredible rate, giving him an immunity to all human illnesses and conditions as well as allowing him to heal from mild to moderate injuries within minutes. As a result of this healing factor, he is unable to get drunk on alcohol or high on drugs, a side effect he greatly resents. It is assumed that this healing ability also includes extended longevity. *'Shapeshifting': Josh has the ability to extend his fingernails into claws, and can extend his teeth into very long, thin, and crooked fangs. These fangs have an appearance of being somewhere in the middle between Werewolf fangs and Kanima or Wendigo fangs. He can also make his eyes and claws glow bright purple, which usually occurs when he is siphoning electricity. *'Electromagnokinesis': Josh possesses the ability to not only absorb electricity from any source, but can also transfer it and store it within himself. He can use this stored electricity as a defensive weapon at will by creating lightning balls in his hands or by transferring electricity from a source to an opponent who is vulnerable to electricity, such as Werewolves. When Josh siphons electricity, it appears to give him a high of some kind, which he was pleased to learn he could do after finding out that he could no longer get high on drugs. He has used this power to absorb electricity from electrical cables, car batteries, cattle-prod tasers, and even from the Thunder Kitsune Kira Yukimura after the telluric currents at Eichen House caused her fox spirit to lose control. Additionally, this power also allows Josh to sense electricity around him, such as the electrified doors of Eichen House or Kira's lightning-infused body. This ability also extends to electromagnetic energy, such as the electromagnetic fields in the Dread Doctor Mask that Theo Raeken wanted him to put on to find the identity of the Beast. This suggests that he may share some similar powers to the Dread Doctors themselves, who gave him his powers in the first place, and that he may have been able to manipulate magnetic energy in addition to electrical energy, though he was ultimately unable to test this theory before he died. This power was ultimately stolen by Theo Raeken. **'Electricity Immunity': Josh's power of electrokinesis also affords him an immunity to electricity, and as a result, it is difficult for him to be harmed by it, though he did appear to feel discomfort when he was siphoning the electricity from Kira's body due to the overwhelming amount of power she possessed. This power was also stolen by Theo Raeken. *'Mountain Ash Immunity': Like all Chimeras, Josh is immune to the effects of mountain ash and rowan wood, since Chimeras were technically scientifically-created rather than supernaturally-created. This means they can not only not be trapped within circles of mountain ash, but they can also use it against supernatural creatures like any other human. Weaknesses As a Chimera, Josh possessed no known weaknesses. However, this does not mean he could not be killed. This was proven to be the case when Theo Raeken dug his claws into Josh's chest and killed him, indicating that he was susceptible to power theft. Etymology *'Josh': Josh is the short form of the masculine given name Joshua, which originates from the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshu'a), meaning "Yahweh is salvation." Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan by Moses, as told in the Old Testament, who then succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites. The name Jesus comes from a Greek translation of the Aramaic short form Yeshu'a, which was the real name of Jesus in the Bible. As an English name, Joshua has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. Variants of the name in other languages include: Yeshua (Ancient Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew); Essa, Isa, Issa, Yushua (Arabic); Josu (Basque); Iesous (Biblical Greek); Yehoshua (Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew); Iesus, Iosue (Biblical Latin); Jozua (Dutch); Josué (French, Spanish); Xesús (Galician); Iokua (Hawaiian); Józsua (Hungarian); Giosuè (Portuguese); Jésus (Spanish); Isa (Turkish). *'Diaz': Diaz, also spelled Dias, is a common Spanish and Portuguese surname with multiple meanings in multiple languages. Generally, the name means "son of Diego," but it also comes from the Latin word dies, as well as the Spanish word dias, which means "days." Despite being a common Hispanic surname, it is believed to have Jewish origins. It was first found in Castile in the Visigoths period, and as a surname, it accounts for roughly 0.17% of the Spanish-speaking population. Trivia *It was implied in Damnatio Memoriae that Josh had a drug problem prior to his transformation into a Chimera, and he seemed to be very unhappy that he was no longer able to get high because of his accelerated healing. However, with Theo's help, he learned that siphoning electricity can give him a similar high to the drugs he used to take. *Josh is the first supernatural-esque creature in the series to have glowing purple eyes. *Strangely enough, Josh seems to have grown to be very loyal to Theo, despite the fact that Theo was the one who killed him in Required Reading. This was ultimately proven to have been a poor choice on Josh's part, since Theo then killed him a second and final time in The Beast of Beacon Hills. *Due to Josh's craving for electricity, which was evidenced in both Required Reading and Damnatio Memoriae, it is possible that he has to siphon electricity into his body for sustenance, or at the very least to sustain his electrokinetic abilities, sort of like Blackout from DC Comics and The Flash television series. *Fandom speculation has indicated that Josh's Chimera status may be part of a raiju, a shapeshifter of Japanese mythology that is associated with thunder, known as the "Japanese thunder beast." Category:Male Characters Category:Supporting Characters Category:Resurrected Characters Category:Chimeras Category:Chimera Pack Category:Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Season 5 Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Former Humans